A Hard Day’s Night
TCM, 11:30 a.m.
As we hit the letter “H” during Turner Classic Movies’ “31 Days of Oscar: Oscars From A to Z” event, one highlight today is this 1964 classic starring the Beatles. A Hard Day’s Night was the Fab Four’s first film and is a fun and influential romp through a fictionalized day in their life during the frenzied height of Beatlemania. It earned Oscar nominations for its screenplay and its adapted musical score by the group’s producer, George Martin. Directed by Richard Lester, the film is a perfect vehicle for John, Paul, George and Ringo, drawing on the cheeky humor and pure fun the group often brought to its songs. The first megastar boy band at the time of filming — and still quite young — the Beatles are comfortably charming in the movie, even while frequently pursued by obsessed fans.
The film’s other big star is its fantastic soundtrack, including the title tune and other classics like “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “She Loves You,” “And I Love Her” and “If I Fell.” The innovative way these songs are cut into visual sequences surely had some influence on later music videos. With A Hard Day’s Night and its frantically fun combination of songs and comedy, the Beatles — as they did with their records — set a new and high bar for what a music film could be. And, whether meaning to or not, they and Lester also created an enduringly enjoyable time capsule of one particularly fab moment in time. —